Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Bengals Offseason Grade: Dexter Lawrence and Draft TRANSFORM 2026 Outlook

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Bengals have been active since mid-March, so we need to revisit our off-season grades after the Dexter Lawrence trade and the NFL draft. You are Locked-on Bengals, your daily Cincinnati Bengals podcast. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. What up, Bengals fans, and welcome to another episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast. He's James Rapine. I'm Jake Lisco, and today we are revisiting our free agency grades. at which time the Bengals had not resigned Joe Flacco. They had not traded for Dexter Lawrence. We did not know what the draft was going to look like.

Starting point is 00:00:44 And we were just being critical at the time of the moves they didn't make. Because now as then, we like the moves they did make in free agency. We like the additions of Boye-Maffei, of Brian Cook, of Jonathan Allen. But the moves they didn't make to solidify slot quarter and linebacker, honestly, are moves that they still haven't made. but when you take a swing as large as the Dexter Lawrence swing, that's going to move the needle. That will be the thrust of today's episode

Starting point is 00:01:13 as we're going to think about how we were talking about the team on March 17th, which is when we graded free agency, and how much that tenor has changed today on May 5th, happy Cinco de Mayo, as we are revisiting how we feel about this offseason now that the majority of talent acquisition is, completed yeah i got to be honest jake i i think they completely flipped it on us and in the the way they were able to pull off that dexter lawrence trade what it does how it feels the vibes the energy the optimism how how he fits with this defense like it completely changes how i

Starting point is 00:01:57 feel about a lot of what they've done this offseason and it with that piece it is isn't just about that one piece. Love Brian Cook, love boy, Amafé, the Jonathan Allen edition made sense at the time. It makes more sense now. And the plan feels much, much differently. And I feel much, much different about the offseason. And I think you should.

Starting point is 00:02:21 Anytime you're giving up the 10th overall pick, it should be that type of move, that type of feeling, that type of fit for an elite talent, a high-end talent that doesn't grow on trees that you can't find. in most drafts. And I think the Bengals did that. And so my grade has really flipped. I think I was in the D range when we did this, what,

Starting point is 00:02:46 six, seven weeks ago, two months ago, whatever it was. It was in early March or mid-March. March 17th. There you go. All right. So six, seven weeks ago. For them to do what they've done since, it really

Starting point is 00:03:03 I'm A like I think it's an A like what more like of course you could say what more could they have done well add a linebacker and that's fine but they're I mean you're familiar I'm going to do the Clifton reference because I went to UC

Starting point is 00:03:20 they basically bought one of those old three story houses in Clifton or inherited it or just let it go to craft and that was their defense. And they had a bad basement, bad first floor, bad second floor, and then the attic, which had bedrooms that it was awful, also awful. And they've completely remodeled most of it.

Starting point is 00:03:42 Now, some of it is projection with those rookies now going into their second year at linebacker. But outside of that, outside of the dining room walls needing, or not dining room, the second floor, maybe a couple walls and vanities and painting to be done, that defense has been remodeled. and Dexter Lawrence is the anchor that brings it together. So I think they deserve a ton of praise for what they've done this offseason. And if you think back to our conversation in March, it was like, we like a lot of these guys. It just wasn't enough to completely remodel things.

Starting point is 00:04:17 Well, now this defense is livable. The house remodel, it's livable. It might not be perfect. There are things you need to continue to improve on. But you can move in now and feel like you have a defense that's going to be functional. you know what's funny is when we did this in march i was a little bit higher on it than you you were in a d i was like c minus d plus range and and we were talking about you know the moves they didn't make and and the the the gpa element of it and like okay well if we think that the brian

Starting point is 00:04:46 cook move is an a and the jonathan allen move is a b or b minus or whatever it was i don't remember and the boy a mafei move which i really liked is say an a minus and then you give them an because they didn't sign a linebacker didn't sign a slot quarter. Like that's how we land on the gravy land out then. Yeah, Dexter Lawrence into the mix. And he's not a linebacker or a slot quarter, but he's an A plus. And so you have that thrown into the equation. I think that's huge.

Starting point is 00:05:14 They bring back Joe Flacco, which is a move that we both were big fans of and remain big fans of. The only thing holding me back from getting to a straight A grade, like in no, no annotation A, grade is the overall structure of things. And this is where it's nitpicking, like the contract structure stuff. I would love to see them just get over the year one roster bonus thing, just prorate all that money.

Starting point is 00:05:43 They have concerns about their future cap. They're probably really happy that they took additional cap expenses into this year right now because of what they're facing down in the wake of the Dexter Lawrence trade next year and into the future. So they would probably argue with me about that. and that's fine. The only other thing is, like you said, the lack of the linebacker edition,

Starting point is 00:06:05 the questions around slot corner right now, they add Ticario Davis to that room in the draft. I think that helps the overall cornerback room depth, and you can see his role right away of dealing with some of the taller, longer, size mismatches that you can get at that position, so dealing with some tight ends that are receiving threats that you're going to see in the slot or lined up out wide. Like that's a specific role for Ticario Davis,

Starting point is 00:06:28 who's going to learn and potentially compete to play outside, and we'll see how ready he is as a rookie in that room. But those questions and the structure stuff probably puts me at an A-minus, but you're talking about going from, and this is a pretty strict approach to it, right, from a range, C-minus to D-range all the way up to an A-range grade because of how seriously you take a move like trading the 10th pick for Dexter Lawrence and the difference that can make to everyone around him on defense. So yeah, they didn't get a linebacker or the slot corner necessarily.

Starting point is 00:07:03 But when you add that kind of game changer and overhaul your defensive front the way you have, bring stability to your secondary in Brian Cook. Those things should help everything on defense be so much better. Yeah, I agree with a lot of what you said. And there are levels to this now because obviously they've improved. They've gotten it for me and A is A plus. still feasible? Well, they still have some weaknesses. Could they address those? I think that's part of it. Could they get that minus into a straight A? What could they do? And the moves they made?

Starting point is 00:07:40 Like, I think that there's still multiple angles to this. So let's continue the conversation as the Bengals aced or aced minused. And I know that's not a term, but it is for Jake Liscoe of the offseason following the Dexter Lawrence Strait. We'll do that coming up next. Today's show is brought to by Ruggiet. The NHL playoffs are here where every shift matters. Every moment is intense and the pressure is at its highest and just like performance matters on the ice. It matters off the ice too.

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Starting point is 00:08:39 That's RUG, IET.com slash locked on NHL for 15% off Rougiette, performance medicine for met. Jake, when it comes to the A jumping from a D to an A, it's just a wild jump. and it's a six, four, three hundred and fifty pound jump, which is what Dexter Lawrence is bringing, right, and bringing back a guy in Joe Flacco and drafting Cassius Howl and getting some good day three value and some upside and all the things that they've done over the past six weeks since we first gave them a free agency grade. You're at an A minus. What theoretically could they do?

Starting point is 00:09:22 Could they add? Could they do internally to get you to get up to an A or an A plus? and say, man, this is the best off season that I can remember the Bengals having ever. Yeah, I mean, how much of it is a draft too? I want to talk about that. Let's try to circle back to how much the draft is a factor in these regrades because I think it is a factor, at least it is for me. But what could they do?

Starting point is 00:09:44 I mean, we joked about it a little bit toward the end of the show yesterday. But pulling off a trade for a guy like Jordan Brooks, I mean, like trading for a real dude at the linebacker spot, I mean, that would do it, right? That unambiguously does it. Signed a guy like Shaq Thompson, maybe there's some ambiguity there because you know, you kind of have to see, one, when that move would happen if they were to go that direction for one of the veteran linebackers

Starting point is 00:10:13 still in the market, too, how it would actually help. Like, if it's a Matt Milano, is that guy actually playing? Is he actually in the starting group at linebacker? What sub-packages? is he in at this point? That's why they're different tiers. So those linebackers, Bobby Wagner, what are you asking Bobby Wagner to do in your defense?

Starting point is 00:10:34 So those moves might move the needle a little bit less, but like another trade where, again, we've speculated about the potential surplus that they have a defensive tackle now after adding Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen and drafting Landon Robinson, the potential surplus there that could play out over training camp in the preseason,

Starting point is 00:10:54 is there a trade to be had? for a quality linebacker there, the way that they swap Billy Price for BJ Hill. And we love that trade, right? Like, BJ Hill certainly had the potential to make a difference for this defense. He has made a big difference for this defense over his time in Cincinnati, being a stalwart in the interior and playing so much for the Bengals and being generally a quality player in that time.

Starting point is 00:11:17 So they've done that before. If they could do it again, they don't necessarily have the first round pedigree pick in Billy Price and I think that did help his trade value to some degree or BJ Hill was excess for the New York Giants at the time but if they could do that again I mean that's that's an easy answer that would get a huge boost to me in seeing how they did this offseason by addressing one of the holes that we see that could still use addressing yeah if you if you sign just a guy at linebacker does nothing does nothing for me not going to change anything I also think that their approach has shown that they don't want just a guy at linebacker

Starting point is 00:11:55 backer. We hit on this yesterday. Like they've been very much, all right, well, it's got to be worth it. And maybe Jordan Brooks is worth it. Maybe that asking price comes down, right? I think that that could be something that you can't completely rule out. The other one that I would mention, and who knows how much he has left, but if Kenny Moore gets released, like the nickel corner from the Colts, I know he's in his 30s, but guess what I care about now? Like, if he's okay now and can be a solid player, You have Dax Hill talking, and there's more here, but talking on Tuesday, I want to stay outside.

Starting point is 00:12:29 Well, I don't really ever, I didn't get the vibe that the Bengals were thinking about kicking Dax inside again. I think they're really comfortable with what they saw from him on the outside. And so, who knows, maybe Kenny Moore could be that piece too. But there are pieces. There are things that can happen. The good news is, and the unique thing about this offseason for me, is a lot of the stuff that we've been. asking for, they've done or found a path to do. And so maybe they do find the path to that nickel corner that's an obvious starter or a path to a linebacker that could matter and gives them

Starting point is 00:13:10 that increased depth. So I think that's where it is. But there aren't a bunch of spots that I'm saying that. Like, of course, I would love the swing tackle, like a proven swing tackle. But how many of those are out there? How realistic is that? That probably isn't. You probably address. it with Brian Parker and you have Cody Ford and you're going to see if maybe Jalen Rivers is going to look there, but probably not Rivers at this point. I think they view them as a guard mostly, but you never know. I think that's it. And so then on defense, can you fill one of those holes? The other thing would be, and I think there could be an argument to be made. Like if you added one more piece, you have DeAndre Hopkins flirting with Joe Burrow playing flag football with them

Starting point is 00:13:52 and saying, hey, I would love to play with Joe Burrow and catch pass from Joe Burrow. You know me, Jake. Of course, I had to bring up the wide receiver, even if it's a vet. This is something the Bengals haven't really done in the Joe Burrow era. I'm curious how it would look, how it would work. By the way, just because I think people are down on him,

Starting point is 00:14:09 Andre Yosevash posted his trainer posted a workout video. Did you see this? He looks absolutely shredded right now and in really good shape. And it's a contract year for him. So guess what? Andre has a lot to prove. And that being said, they added a veteran receiver. I might bump it up a percentage point or two.

Starting point is 00:14:28 Yeah, I don't think fitness has ever been the issue for Andre Yosevaish. But he just looks different. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm glad he looks in shape. Generally hasn't been the problem for him. He's always been a high-end athlete. And so hopefully that translates this year. I'd like to see these guys working out in the offseason.

Starting point is 00:14:46 Joe Burroughs out there working with Jordan Palmer again. So all these guys are working. That's what you like to say. see. Andre's the type of guy that could go to the Met Gala, no undershirt, right? You just leave the jacket open. Like, he's at that level of fitness right now where he's not worried about, you know, do I have an undershirt? Oh, I don't. I must have forgot it. Like, it's that level. A couple of things I wanted to touch on that you were talking about. One, the linebacker edition, like looking for the linebacker edition to move the needle for the Bengals

Starting point is 00:15:15 and what that might say about what they're looking for now. We'll see. I think that they will probably it'll be interesting to see how they react to training camp is part of my thought here. The other part of it is like, yeah, the guys they were looking for were we want to bring in a guy that we think is a clear upgrade over what we have. And that means that they were looking at a couple of starting level linebackers, every down linebackers, the guys that they were interested in in the draft, they probably saw us every down players are probably less interested as we talked about yesterday. And those linebackers are going to be sub-packaged roles or haven't been full-time players

Starting point is 00:15:46 And maybe that tempered their interest in a guy like Devin Lloyd. Maybe that had an impact on their interest level in a guy like Leo Chanel, who those guys weren't necessarily full-time players for their previous teams, as far as what the Bengals were looking for at linebacker. And yeah, could the grade change? It could definitely still change based on what they do between now and the regular season, you know, do extensions make a potential impact here. If they get ahead of one of these extensions, that could make an impact for sure.

Starting point is 00:16:16 sure, depending on which player they choose to extend. Like, if you get a DJ Turner and a Daxhill extension done, that's getting a bump up as well for me, because you're taking proactive steps to secure a couple of good pieces on the outside of this defense that we like for the next few years and extending the control there. So there are still things that they can do that aren't even just adding players from the outside, James,

Starting point is 00:16:41 but I'm also curious to talk about how much the draft impacted things. and how much their approach that way impacts things. The other thing that I wanted to talk about before we get to the draft topic, which we'll get to in a minute here to finish the show, is swing tackle, that also would move the needle for me. If they were to make a move at swing tackle, maybe it is Brian Parker. I still think he's best suited inside. I do think that some of the limitations, physical limitations show up on his college

Starting point is 00:17:13 shape when he's playing tackle that I think could be mitigated. at guard or at center. So we'll see where he works. But they've got a bunch of guys that are probably best inside that are your potential swing tackles right now. If it's Cody Ford, Jalen Rivers, and Brian Parker, those guys are all best suited inside. And I think that there is, it's not hard to upgrade on Cody Ford at swing tackle. It's all I'm saying.

Starting point is 00:17:37 Like there are probably, I don't know who exactly is out there tackle. I got you. I'm going to give you the name. Okay. And I'm going to have to be. the one that smooths things over right yeah jona williams yeah right yep right brian parker can learn from them undersized like fits fits a lot for whatever you're thinking out there hearing jona william's name he is better than cody ford unambiguously yeah yes yeah yeah and so the the thing that people

Starting point is 00:18:11 are going to see like taylor decker and but that's not that's not that's not really i assume Decker's going to get a starting job somewhere and that's where you're at there. No, I think that's really the one that would make a lot of sense. I think he's a pro enough. But I do think they'd also say, well, how much better is he really? And I know this sounds wild than Brian Parker, if we can develop Brian Parker. Now, you could, I'd rather, Jonah Williams would take my grade from an A to an A plus, just I think the big thing with Jonah is where's he at health-wise?

Starting point is 00:18:46 Like, is he ready to go? Is he fully recovered in all those things? Yeah. He had a pretty big injury last year. Yeah, I don't know. I'll pull up his Insta here and let's see. Usually he posts a little something. Yeah, nothing.

Starting point is 00:19:01 Yeah. Oh, man, he hasn't. Nothing in a while. Nothing in 50 weeks. So there you go. There you go. Let's talk about how the draft fits into things. the late round picks in particular picks that we loved.

Starting point is 00:19:16 One of the things that we talked about when we did our initial grade run through a free agency was like, when's the last time the Bengals nailed to draft? When's the last time we came out of a draft feeling really good about the draft? And it had been a while was our conclusion at the time, which was part of, I think, the thought process as we were considering what the Bengals had done to that point. So let's talk about how the draft factors into things as we continue the conversation here coming up next. This episode of Lockdown Bengals is sponsored by BetterHelp and May is Mental Awareness Month. It's more, it's an important reminder that whatever you're carrying right now,

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Starting point is 00:20:28 If the fit isn't right right away, you can switch therapists at any time and get matched with someone that will be there to listen to you, to support you, and that can make a real difference. You don't have to be on this journey alone. Find support and have someone with you. therapy and sign up and get 10% off right now at betterhelp.com slash lockdown. That's better help, help.com slash locked up. James, how much of a factor when you're thinking about how we feel about this

Starting point is 00:20:58 Bengals offseason now versus how we felt about this offseason on May 17th is the Dexter Lawrence trade, the Joe Flacco resigning, and the NFL draft? Like how much of each of those things, how much did they weigh into your upgraded, updated, opinion on the Bengals off season. Now, big time, right? Like Dexter Lawrence and the draft together is an A. The Lawrence trade itself is an A plus. The draft without Lawrence is roughly A B in the B range.

Starting point is 00:21:30 The Joe Flacco signing is an A plus, but it's Wade. It's a backup quarterback. You hope he doesn't throw a pass this year unless the Bengals are up by 50. And so for me, if I was at a D before, Joe Flacco with an A plus gets it to maybe a C minus because of the weight there. You got me thinking about this very strategically now. And then Dexter Lawrence, that A plus skyrockets it. And even with it being a B draft without them, that B isn't enough to drag it all

Starting point is 00:22:06 the way down because I loved a lot of what they did in Free Agency. And Free Agency is going to be heavier weighted than the draft. and their main picks they use to make their defensive pass rush, their defensive front a strength. They get Dexter Lawrence with pick 10. They get Cassius Howe with pick 41. And in the thing that we knew we were aware of pre-draft on day two that we can say, because now the Bengals have said it, Cassius Howe was number one on their board, number one on their board entering day two.

Starting point is 00:22:39 They had a first round grade on him. and they felt really, really good about him and what he can bring to their pass rush. And so to get him, it was just tremendous value in our minds. I was shocked that they did it because it was this not a body style, body type, whatever you want to say, position that they, player that they like at that position. So really pleased by that. So when you get into the minutia of the draft, could you drag it down a little bit potentially? but those two premium picks, they used them to make a key piece of their defensive strength.

Starting point is 00:23:15 So overall, it had an impact, but it wasn't enough of an impact because I thought they nailed it with Lawrence and Cassius Howell making that defensive front of strength. I think they needed to make so much progress this offseason that that skews the grade toward waiting veterans heavier, right? Like if the draft is 30% of your grade, the veterans are a much bigger chunk. They're the remaining 70% this year because it was such a pivotal year. And the difference in approach to this offseason versus the previous two where we called them off seasons of paramount importance, right? Yeah. And this year it was like, all right, well, let's see if they are going to do anything differently this year. And they did.

Starting point is 00:24:05 They came out swinging early in free agency. By the time we finished the Brian Cook episode, we had a Boye-Mafé episode to do. And the last time they came out that hot and free agency, it made a huge immediate impact on the team. Do they keep up that success rate, that hit rate that they've had when they're really aggressive in free agency? That's what we need to see how it plays out. But they get credit for the approach that they took in spend. spending significant resources on veterans. And when you add Dexter Lawrence into that mix,

Starting point is 00:24:41 he makes up a lot for what they didn't do. Instead of talking about what they didn't do, we're talking about them taking a huge swing in lieu of filling needs and focusing so much on filling these things that we perceived as needs. And we'll see because like we've said, there's still time for them to make additions. And maybe Kenny Moore is a casualty in Indian,

Starting point is 00:25:03 and that ends up being a player that they're interested in. will make a lot of sense, right? But the importance of this offseason in turning this team around for 2026 is really coloring this for me in a big way. And is why the Dexter Lawrence move moves the needle so much, even if you don't love all of their draftics. But at the same time, this is probably the best we felt about their draft in years.

Starting point is 00:25:30 So like, it's not like we think they did a bad job in the draft. you know that's that's not that shouldn't be your takeaway here either but the the veteran impact in terms of immediately trying to turn around this defense is hard to overstate especially if you buy in at all to the idea that they made progress in the second half of the season last year like if there's truly progress and momentum and these coaches figuring out what they have and how to use these guys and you've added the talent that you've added to try to replace straight Hendrickson and what they lost on the defensive edge and Dexter Lawrence in the middle and all those things, Brian Cook in the back end, then you could really sell yourself on.

Starting point is 00:26:11 Yeah, man, this defense could be good. This could be a complete team this year. And they've returned everybody on offense. You feel good about that if they can stay healthy on that side of the ball. So, yeah, I mean, it's hard to be, hard to be down on it when I say it that way, you know? That's exactly it. I don't need you to give up your first round pick every officer. season, but I need you to aggressively address your weaknesses every off season and address it

Starting point is 00:26:38 with proven guys. It's the Joe Burrow era. You know, it's, uh, it's an era where we should always be talking about Super Bowls and where the Super Bowl is and how many games above 500 they're going to be year and and year out, not nine and eight, not scrambling to the finish, not finding a way to get to 500. You ready for the fast start topic again, James? You ready? No, no, because they got off to a fast start last year and it didn't matter, right? Like 2 and 0, whatever. I need you to just be a good football team and be a good football team out of the gate and then you could come together as the season goes on and be hitting your stride when it's time to. This uphill climb stuff, this injury stuff, this all right, let's play the schedule game when this guy's going to get back. Like I get it. Injuries are going to happen. But this team, this is why the Joe Flacko moves so important. Right. If Burrow misses six games. James, they should still be in the playoff hunt.

Starting point is 00:27:34 And that's it. And there are no excuses here. The expectations are different. And this is how it should always feel. It should always feel like, all right, well, if they miss a guy, whatever guy that is, one guy, they can get by. And it hasn't felt that way for quite some time. Speaking of misses, Geno Stone just missed another tackle.

Starting point is 00:27:58 And so breaking news there, someone just piped in on my ear from, Yeah, anyways, Gino Stone just keeps missing tackles. Like, you've gotten better there. That's a huge plus. And I like how you said that because Jordan Battle, Shamar Stewart, Demetrius Knight, Barrett Carter, obviously Miles Murphy. Like those are five guys.

Starting point is 00:28:17 What if three of those five take significant leaps forward? Like three of the five, 60%. Or even two, to be honest. But now it's, because when I think of this Bengals defense, I don't think about any of the, the unproven guys outside of concern. Like, I'm like, oh, well, Jordan Battle is going to have his hits and misses, but at least Brian Cook is there.

Starting point is 00:28:40 The linebackers are so unproven. Like, at least battle's going to make some splash plays. And maybe you see that from night. You saw it at the end of last season. Maybe those guys can do that too. And if you have that with that pass rush and those corners, should be in pretty good shape. And so we will say in pretty good shape means top 20 in the league, top 22 in the league. that's much better than where they've been,

Starting point is 00:29:03 especially if they can consistently be in that range. I just also feel better about the depth on many positions on the team too. Like tackle is an exception, corners, maybe an exception. Linebacker is certainly an exception. But the additions on the interior offensive line in the draft make me feel better about their interior offensive line depth to a pretty significant degree.

Starting point is 00:29:22 They've added so many bodies to the defensive line that we're talking about potentially having to cut a defensive tackle that played a lot for them last year. We'll see who that would be. We'll see what that roster competition looks like. But they're five, six deep on the defensive interior right now. They've got a clear four-man rotation on the edge. Could stand to be a little deeper there, perhaps,

Starting point is 00:29:42 for guys that could be the fifth and six guys because you want to be prepared for potential injuries and guys missing time here or there in the trenches. But adding Kyle Dugger is another part of this that we haven't mentioned until now, 30 minute mark of the show. But while that's not necessarily a huge move, adding guys like Kyle Dugger to your team,

Starting point is 00:30:05 especially a versatile guy like Dugger, but like the insurance at safety, where your first safety off the bench is now Kyle Dugger instead of guys that they don't trust to play defense that they showed us by their behavior last year. They didn't really want to put those guys on the field when Gino Stone was struggling so much. And you get a real guy backing up there in Kyle Dugger.

Starting point is 00:30:26 the depth additions around this team, I think, help a lot as well. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. I mean, because now it's not just Jalen Rivers is your backup. Now you have a proven center. You could go to Brian Parker. Now it's not just Cody Ford. Like you can try these other guys. And maybe it's there are other tackles.

Starting point is 00:30:48 What's, I just want to make sure I give his, get his name. Obviously, Andrew Coker, but the one that was kind of interesting, the claim last year, Javon Foster, the former third. rounder. Like, who knows, right? Like, maybe, maybe there's something there that we don't see Christian Jones, then drafted free agent that will sign later this week, assuming he passes his physical. Like, there are guys. And who knows, maybe one of those guys emerge and can help. But the depth in a lot of these spots, I agree with you. It just, it feels, it feels better. It's by Kobe Young is a really intriguing fit because he could contribute or he just gives you

Starting point is 00:31:21 another option at receiver if something happens to your big options and your, you're, you're, big pieces. The same thing goes with Eric and Jack Andrews. Like could one of those guys matter that didn't impact the team last year? Sure. Could both? Well, that would be awesome. Can you bank on it right now?

Starting point is 00:31:39 It's seventh rounder or an injured tight end coming off of injury? No, probably not. But there's, I do. I think they're a far more talented roster and they have more high-end talent because of Dexter Lawrence and Brian Cook. But guys, seven through whatever you want to say seven through 20 are much improved but then also 40 through 53 that part of the roster is going to feel deeper as well yeah it's not perfect it's never perfect

Starting point is 00:32:08 in the NFL but at all these different spots that we have talked about I do think that the depth is improved and I think that that matters in addition to the big swings like they're doing some of the little things too and if they can continue to make some of those Kyle Dugger kind of moves they're only going to be viewed by us as as more and more complete as we continue the offseason Bobby Bobby Jack Jordan Jordan oh yeah Jordan and Jonah give me double j j squared baby jays are only good for the Cincinnati Bengals if we've ever learned anything go bangles that's going to do it for this episode of the lockdown bangles by now jamaar until next time

Starting point is 00:32:50 Thanks for listening. Today. And have a good one. I was talking about Jake Lisko, not Jake Browning.

Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Bengals Offseason Grade: Dexter Lawrence and Draft TRANSFORM 2026 Outlook

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